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Jul 10, 2015

The recent trip to Croatia in Spring made me fall in love with Dubrovnik. The weather was perfect 28 degrees and just about right to get out in the sun all day long. Though not warm enough to get into water (although locals claimed it was 24 degrees in water ;) blah!!!) , the heat was not scorching enough to give head ache and make me stay indoors with the AC on. So, that's my temperature rant, I loved it and it's my bottom line. We walked quite a bit and discovered some neat routes around for a good walk to build up your appetite to gorge on more sea food while enjoying the local landscape and Balkan turquoises.

1. Copacabana beach to the Old Town / Babin Kuk to Old town.

We stayed at Babin Kuk at the Valamar hotels and did this walk almost every day of our stay. I loved the walk to the old town all along the sea. The walking trail is well made and walks you along the port with its little private decks and all sized boats anchored through the length of the journey. I can guarantee you will love this 6 km walk

2. Walk in the Old town. It is guaranteed to be on your list if you are in Dubrovnik. But needless to say, if you walk the alleys and the steps up and down, make your way till the port and back , you are bound to burn some calories just as you take in the ambiance of the town.

Port just outside the Dubrovnik Old town

3. Panoramic Walk up and around the Walls - The Old Town has a panoramic walk tour. I would totally recommend this. If you don't want to sign up for a tour, still go for this route because it is just one of the best you can get in Dubrovnik. You need pay to enter the Fort and then just follow the steps that lead all around the Old Town.

Oh! my favorite port

It is panoramic at all levels and I absolutely loved it. Much as all of Dubrovnik is over-hyped and touristic, there are these despite-touristy bits that make the experience memorable. I am glad I did this walk.

Jun 8, 2015

The Kotor Bay in the Balkan gives a fertile and self - sufficient feeling. On the bus ride from Dubrovnik, I saw all these little plastic boxes floating in the lovely landscape. And I almost judged them for pollution. Duh! How wrong I was!

It is an organized farming. Oyster Farms and mussel farms in the warm Balkan waters.

May 14, 2015

Just like that, we took a bus from Dubrovnik to Montenegro, another country. Montenegro means black mountain. The bay of Kotor is one of the first bays into Adriatic sea that opens up as you enter Montenegro from the west. Montenegro is a really small country and the beauty of these ultra small Eastern European territories ( cities or countries) is how quaint and contained the town and sea are. Coming from India, this is miniature for me. But hey, I am no judge of size. I loved the bay of Kotor and Montegran towns I visited.

How to reach : Rent a car from dubrovnik and drive down. Or get a guided tour or day tour from nearby cities. All big cities offer the day trip as I came to know.

Visa: Eastern Europe has different visa restrictions. Taiwan passport cannot enter for example. But with an Indian passport and my EU residence card ( or Schengen tourist visa) it is a valid entry.
Please check the visa restrictions.

Currency: Euro
It is cheaper than most of central Europe and some Eastern European cities. Good idea to shop!

Food: totally try the seafood from Adriatic. It is fresh and local grill style is my favorite. Make sure the restaurant is not ultra touristy and they can make you fresh fish. There are also some vegetarian options.

May 9, 2015

I am totally on a walk and move it spree. I am exploring ways o get active and see the city. No more days of"just" lazing in cafes and soaking sun on the beaches, there will be more walking!

1. Walking tour - Whether you have 1 day or 2 days in Bordeaux, you should definitely do the walking tour. This is offered by the tourism board of Bordeaux and the guide speaks in French, English and German. (Good for me, whatever I miss in English, I catch up in German! Graaa)
The guide walks you through the Monument aux Girondins. It is a fabulous monument to start to the walking tour as one can wholly appreciate the monument with the stories around it.

Monument aux Girondins at Place de Quinconces

The rest of the walking tour takes you through the Golden Triangle, which is bound by 3 alleys and boulevards in the inner city and shows the city architecture as planned out by Tourny. The tour takes 2 hours and ends at Palais de la Bourse.

2. City seeing bus tour - If you can't do the walking tour, I would recommend the bus tour. Contrary to the younger generation who think these bus tours are for seniors and families with kids, I like these because for all these reasons

You can sit on the top, enjoy the open air and sunshine (in spring- summer)

You can hear the commentary in a language of your choice without struggling with guide books as a part of "soak-in-culture"or get your spot ahead in a guided tour

The bus stops at signals and main places a few seconds longer for you to take photos, why not take them from the top angle!

3. Tram ride to Chatrons - I stayed in the Chatrons area. It is a little away from the central area but totally walkable (about 2-3 kilometers). But I recommend the tram ride to this quarter. The district is popular because of the Irish, English settlers and has a good selection of Irish pubs. A nice long walk along the promenade from the centre with definitely earn you those beers!

4. Walk through the Inner city - There is no way to get lost because the district is very small! Now that you know, you can start from the Grand Theatre side and walk along the Alley de Tourny. The shopping goes from expensive to less expensive brands as you walk away. Great idea to deviate into the alleys and explore the squares they lead to. Every square has interesting cafes, pubs and restaurants. Just follow the sign to the river and you are back on the riverfront to get your directions back!

5. Walk the Riverfront - No more to say. That's my voted best activity for the evenings after a coffee. Although the April winds were slightly cooler, I had no qualms and thoroughly enjoyed the wide esplanade walk. you can see the lovely city entrances from there, the doors/ tower doors.